The two fire risks your fixed systems don't cover
A fixed suppression system is built to knock a fire down. It cannot neutralise a lithium battery in thermal runaway, and it cannot tell you whether its own cylinders are still charged. SepcoTech's Fire Safety category exists to close those two gaps — EV fire containment for vehicle decks, and ultrasonic testing that proves every cylinder is at full charge.
Two problems. Two solutions.
They are unrelated problems with unrelated answers — so pick the one you actually have. You do not need to read about the other.
EV Fire Safety
No extinguishing agent has been proven to stop a battery in thermal runaway, and a damaged pack can reignite for up to 72 hours after the flame is out. The answer is not a better agent — it is containment: cool the battery, encapsulate the vehicle, submerge the pack. The EVstinguish EV-X does that with two crew, in under ten minutes, with the water contained inside the barrier instead of spread across the deck. Independently fire-tested by DBI.
- For ferries & Ro-Pax, car carriers (PCTC) and RoRo vessels
- Zero reignitions in a full-scale DBI fire test, November 2025
- An operational tool — no class or flag-state approval required
Fire Suppression System Testing
A fixed gaseous system sits armed for years and a slow leak is silent. Ultrasonic instruments confirm the charge of every cylinder aboard — liquid level, agent weight in kilograms, or inert-gas pressure — read through the wall, in under 30 seconds, with the system still armed.
- CO2, FM-200, NOVEC 1230, Halon, Inergen and inert gases
- ABS / RINA / UL approvals; ATEX & IECEx option
- Meets SOLAS FSS Ch.5 and IMO MSC.1/Circ.1318
Suppression stops the flame. It does not resolve the battery.
IUMI confirmed in September 2025 that no extinguishing agent has been proven to stop the chemical chain reaction in a battery in thermal runaway. CO2 and foam remove oxygen a self-oxygenating cell does not need; mist and drencher systems cool and protect boundaries but cannot end the runaway. That leaves every operator with the same open question after the fire looks out: is it actually over?
EV-X answers it. After suppression, two crew wrap the vehicle and flood a patent-pending barrier until the battery is submerged — and it stays contained until port, with no diversion and no water across the deck.
A passive system nobody checks is a risk nobody sees
Fixed fire-suppression systems sit charged for years, and a slow loss of agent — or a fall in inert-gas pressure — is silent until the system is called on and falls short. The regulations recognise it: the IMO SOLAS FSS Code (Chapter 5) requires crews to be able to verify agent quantity without moving cylinders from their fixing position, and MSC.1/Circ.1318 asks for confirmation that each cylinder holds at least 90% of its nominal charge.
Ultrasonic testing makes that a 30-second routine instead of a weigh-out: level for liquefied agents, weight in kilograms via the Portasteele calculator, pressure for inert gases. Supplied by SepcoTech, manufactured by Coltraco Ultrasonics.
What we can put in front of your auditor
Fire safety is a high-trust purchase. Everything below is available for underwriter, P&I, class or flag-state review.
Independent full-scale fire test
DBI (Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology) tested the EV-X on a simulated ferry deck with a real 113 kWh battery, report SIXC25005. Zero reignitions. Full report available on request.
Type approvals & certification
ABS Type Approval, RINA and UL Listing on the Portalevel MAX Marine Plus; ATEX and IECEx Zone 1 & 2 on the Portalevel IS; CE / EN 13731 on the EV-X lifting bags.
Recognised standards
SOLAS Chapter II-2 and FSS Code Ch.5, IMO MSC.1/Circ.1318 and 1432, NFPA 2001 and ISO 14520 — cited by name and clause, not implied.
Video & documentation
Full-scale test footage, crew deployment video, manufacturer brochures and an audit trail of training records and drill logs for your SMS file.
Background reading
The technical background, written for people who have to make the decision — not marketing copy.
EV fire safety at sea
Thermal runaway, the 72-hour reignition window, why fire blankets are the wrong tool, and where IMO regulation is heading.
EV fire on ferries & Ro-Pax
The three decisions a master cannot make until reignition is ruled out.
EV fire on car carriers
Why the standard containment tactic is itself a stability hazard on a PCTC.
Cylinder servicing intervals
What SOLAS, the FSS Code, the IMO circulars and NFPA 2001 / ISO 14520 actually require, and how often.
Not sure which one you need?
Tell us what you're protecting and we'll point you at the right one — or spec and quote it, through ShipServ or direct. If you already know, the EV-X review and testing quote forms are faster.
Prefer to talk? Email tech@sepcotech.com for quotes and technical questions
· +45 6916 2400 · ShipServ TN 317545
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